CorSport – Napoli push for Hojlund in the transfer market, the situation… | OneFootball

CorSport – Napoli Transfer Market, Pushing for Hojlund! The Situation…

Today, immediately, in a moment and yet: Rasmus Hojlund is still in Manchester. With four days left before the end of a transfer window that has seen Napoli make seven signings and the major sale of Osimhen, the other half of a €150 million treasure (or thereabouts) that began in January with Kvara’s move to PSG. But that’s another story. Or maybe not. The fact is, the Hojlund deal has slowed down, the 22-year-old Danish youngster who suddenly became an almost indispensable necessity in light of Lukaku’s injury, with the Champions League around the corner and a desert of valid alternatives in terms of quality, price, conditions, and above all, time. Four days to go before the football stock market closes, as we were saying: never forget it. And apparently, there is a strong risk that the operation, which until a couple of days ago seemed to be heading towards the finish line, could drag on a bit longer. Certainly, for the second time after Sassuolo, Lucca will be the only natural center forward available to Conte for Saturday’s match against Cagliari at the Maradona. The problem that has stalled negotiations? Appearances. The number of matches that Napoli has asked to include as one of the two necessary conditions to make the buyout mandatory. The other is qualification for the next Champions League.

United does not agree. Or rather: compared to their initial position, that is, guaranteed obligation and nothing more, they have accepted to start from a loan with an option to buy for €5 million plus €40 million, which would become an obligation if Napoli manages to qualify for the 2026-2027 edition of the Champions League. They consider this reasonable. De Laurentiis’ club, however, has asked to double the conditions: also including a clause for a significant number of matches played by Hojlund throughout the season. Significant, meaning a high percentage of the total: and this is the point that has stalled the negotiations and put the deal on ice. United, for its part, wants to exclude this option from the structure of the deal or at least significantly reduce the number of appearances Rasmus would need to make to turn the option into an obligation.

Yesterday, contacts continued until the Red Devils’ world came to a halt for the Carabao Cup match against Grimsby Town, a fourth division English team. Hojlund, for the record, is on his way out and was not called up, as has become the norm for some time now, but he showed his affection to his teammates and friends via social media with a message of strength and courage. Today, in short, the story will start again early in the morning with the same intentions and the same common goal: to get out of the quicksand, find a compromise, and unlock the deal as soon as possible. United needs to offload a surplus player and Napoli, on the other hand, needs to strengthen a department suddenly halved after Lukaku’s exit, certainly exposed and by necessity no longer equipped to compete at certain levels and on multiple fronts. The idea, in any case, is that the deal should not be considered at risk, or at least not yet. But beware of forgetting that on Monday the transfer window will close its doors and windows, taking with it all projects and objectives until January 2026. The heart of winter. Sometimes as cold as the last one.

Carlo Gioia

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.